- Sinéad O'Connor has died at age 56, her family confirmed to Irish news outlet RTE on Wednesday.
- A week before her passing, she shared a touching tribute to her late son on Twitter.
One of Sinead O'Connor's final social media posts before her death was about her grief over the death of her son, Shane Lunny.
The renowned Irish musician, who is best remembered for her 1990 chart-topping cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," died at the age of 56, her family said in a statement to Irish news outlet RTE.
In a post shared to her personal Twitter account @786OmShahid on July 17 — just a week before her death — the Grammy award-winning artist shared a photo of herself with her son and said she had "been living as undead night creature since" he died by suicide in 2022.
The late singer shared 10 crying face emojis and the hashtag "#lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022."
She wrote: "Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally."
"I am lost in the bardo without him," she concluded her post, referencing the Tibetan Buddhist concept of being between death and rebirth.
Shane was O'Connor's third child and the only one she shared with fellow Irish singer Donal Lunny.
As Insider previously reported, he was found dead in January 2022 after going missing in Dublin, Ireland. O'Connor confirmed on Twitter that he had died by suicide.
"My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God," O'Connor tweeted.
"May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace," she said.
O'Connor also tweeted that Shane was previously under suicide watch at Tallaght Hospital after two failed attempts a week prior, and accused the hospital of neglect. The hospital declined a request for comment at the time.
Following Shane's death, O'Connor's final album, titled "No Veteran Dies Alone," which was due to be released last year, was indefinitely postponed.
She also canceled all of her shows in June 2022 for her "health and well-being," according to her management team, who released a statement that read: "We would like to respectfully announce that due to continuing grief over the tragic loss of her beloved son Shane earlier this year, Sinead O'Connor will not be performing live in 2022."
On Wednesday, O'Connor's family announced that she died in a statement shared with RTE that read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
She is survived by her other three children.